Friday, May 23, 2014

The past nine months have flown by! I can't believe our littlest man is now ten months old. I'm fairly certain I begin each blog post with a similar observation. "They" tell you how fast it goes, but there is no believing it until it's your little one doing the growing. Where is the pause button? Life is so good right now, but so busy that I feel like I don't have a minute to breath in the extraordinary everyday moments we share.

The big development this past month was Harrison being able to pull himself up. This first happened where it normally happens, in the crib, but we noticed it in the middle of the night. He had pulled himself up and was crying because he couldn't seem to figure out how to get back down. This brought about a middle of the night crib adjustment and lowering of the mattress. It didn't help too much; for the first few weeks of the month we were awakened by a little boy who was super proud of his new trick, but super frustrated by not being able to get back down to his pacis. After night in and night out of going in and lying him back down, one night we left him to his own devices. Wouldn't you know it, he figured it out all on his own. I love seeing his tiny little body standing at the head of the crib when we go in to get him in the morning. He is all smiles and normally wants to play a quick game of peek-a-boo by ducking behind his bumper and popping up again. For this life of me I can't figure out why I don't have a photo or video of this! These two, however, display his new skill...and his edible thigh rolls!

Easter brought about an obsession with balloons. If you can believe it, our Easter balloon is still floating around the house. Every morning, Harrison goes on a mission to find it. Then he points at it and grunts, "ba ba." He is tickled when we jump to get it and has made quite a game of repeatedly letting it go. He also loves pulling the stings and biking himself in the face with balloon - crazy kid. You can ask him, "where's mommy?" or "where's daddy?" and you get nothing, but when you ask, "where's the balloon?" his eyes search the ceiling until he finds it, points, and smiles. This Easter picture seemed to foretell the future.

Kaden is the center of Harrison's world. He loves watching his bother do just about anything and vies for his attention. Kaden always elicits the biggest giggles, the widest smiles, and sometimes the biggest screams. I can't get over what a fantastic big brother Kaden is to Harrison - he is so patient, playful, and protective. This month he's actually saved Harrison's life on two separate occasions by alerting me to a choker in Harrison's mouth. This seems like a good time to mention that the chokers are making me a crazy person. Parenting the second child is so much easier in so many ways, but the existence of choking hazards is not one of them. I never realized how easy I had it with Kaden! We've devised a system that Kaden can play with chokers in his room and the door to his room will stay closed. If he wants to play with chokers in the living area, he has to keep them on a raised surface. If they fall to the ground and he doesn't realize it or pick them up, they are mine and he has to perform a chore to earn them back. Kaden is very conscientious about this, but somehow little objects still end up on the floor. Maybe it's because more teeth are coming in (he got one of his two top teeth this month), but everything goes in Harrison's mouth. The favorite choices are wet wipes, paper towels, washcloths, and the letters from Kaden's bathroom step-stool (gross).

Harrison is so independent. He can play on his own, without needing any attention or intervention, for hours. He is a curious little thing and likes to explore his surroundings. No matter where we are, he is confident enough to crawl around and check it out. He also seems to be pretty social. He gives smiles and points to every adult who notices him, but he loves observing other babies.

Harrison's current favorites:
Playing peek-a-boo - he'll hide behind the couch, his bumper, a book, or even a diaper and then pop out with a wide grin to our "peek-a-boos." I think he's convinced that he's tricked us into thinking he's disappeared when we call, "where's Harrison?"

Being outside - either for walks, exploring in the yard, but mostly swinging at the park.

Hummus - you should see this kid inhale it. He'll use just about anything to shovel it in his mouth, but his fingers work best. A considerable amount ends up in his hair. I've even seen him bend down to the highchair tray to vacuum it in using just his mouth.

Books - before every nap and bedtime he picks out which books he wants to read. He has a variety of literary interests, but Peek-A-Who and Freight Train seem to be popular choices at the moment.

Harrison had his first swim lesson and absolutely loved it. It is at a different facility than the one where Kaden started, and I like it so much better. It's a mommy and me class and they make it really interactive with songs, bubbles, mirrors, balls, and other fun props. The very first lesson we passed him underwater from mom to instructor and back again. His class is at the same time as Kaden's and they both really enjoy being in the water together during the free play after class. Shower time is a bit hectic though!

Harrison is just figuring out how to wave. Mostly he'll wave towards himself while he's in his car seat looking into the mirror. He won't wave on command just yet; he's still pointing at everyone and everything.

He's still using the army crawl to get around (and he's gotten super fast), but this month we discovered that he can actually crawl normally. We were over at a friend's house who has an area of artificial lawn and Harrison pushed his considerable tummy right off the ground and crawled on all fours. I have to admit I was a bit amazed. I assumed that he did the army crawl because he couldn't lift himself up onto all fours. I guess he just didn't like the feel of the artificial turf on his belly because I've noticed it on other occasions where the ground is either hot or rough. The army crawl is just his signature move!

Harrison is figuring out utensils, but prefers fingers. He's even begun to reject being spoon fed baby food and would prefer everything be cut up in bite size pieces so that he can do it himself. He's also trying to figure out how the sippy cup works, but ends up just gnawing on the spout. When he does actually get water out, he sputters in amazement.

Harrison took his first bus ride downtown - a request made by Kaden when asked how he wanted to spend his day off. Harrison enjoyed the ride almost as much as his brother.

Our chatty little man is growing into his own person. He's super mellow and constant smiles, but he is also incredibly mischievous and fiercely independent. Harrison has a mind of his own and, if its not on his agenda, it's a bit of a battle. He will scream in frustration if you take away something he's not allowed to play with, but wants to anyway. He will arch his back and roll if he isn't in the mood to have his diaper changed or sit in the car seat. Fortunately, these battles don't last too long and, after I win, he settles in to whatever he was fighting so hard against. Our current ongoing battle is his desire to stand up and/or lie down in the bathtub. While he loves bath time, the duration of these spa sessions are becoming shorter and shorter in an effort to teach him to remain seated.

This little boy is full of love and joy, and he brings us the same...in spades.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

The weather couldn't have been better when Paul came to visit...it was hot, hot, hot. Kaden and Paul cooled off in the pool at the local high school and took in some of the sea breezes down at the beach.

Uncle Paul and Harison spent a ton of quality time together chatting and swapping secrets.

One afternoon, Uncle Paul carved an ATM for Kaden and made special money and debit cards to enhance the imaginary play. This has entertained Kaden for days!

SUP at the Shores. We rented stand up paddle boards (SUP) and spent the day down at La Jolla Shores testing our balance. The water was incredibly calm and clear so we were able to see all kinds of marine life, including bat rays and sea lions. Kaden even donned a life jacket and, after much cajoling, went for a ride on the front of my board. Although he was apprehensive, he ended up loving it. This is definitely something we have to do again!

We were so happy Uncle Paul came out for an extended visit. It had been a long time since he'd been in SD, and we missed him terribly. We're hoping he can come out again soon and have our feelers out for local dental offices in need of a surgeon. We can wish, right?

HPF

KPF

KPF

Our Family Blog

Inspired by a friend who blogs about her children's adventures, I've decided to record our boys' experiences and milestones in a similar manner. I'm hopeful that my friends and family have half as much fun viewing our life as I have had reading about the Jefferies Family. While our blog may not be half as witty, I hope it is just as charming. More than anything, I hope it is a way for "far-away" family to feel as if they are sharing in our life.